A good enough excuse.
But here’s the thing: there is no such thing.
He wanted to take what’s mine. He wanted to hurt her in the worst way he could think of. He wanted tostealandtakeanddestroyher. But she has a meaner, scarier,crazierstalker.
Me.
And I’ll protect her with every breath in my body.
“I went to her apartment after I saw the press release.” His eyes lose focus, like he’s remembering. Or fabricating.
I glance over at Knox, whose brows are drawn together.
“I have a prescription to help me sleep. I brought some with me and crushed them up to put in her drink. It took a little while for it to hit her. I didn’t even have to force her to her bedroom—she walked there on her own two feet.” He looks up at me, his eyes dry. Not a speck of remorse. “I was going to fuck her, and I was going to video it and send it to you.”
Me.
I narrow my eyes and gesture for him to keep talking.
He does. “I’ve been dating Violet forever. She’s been by my side for the past three years.”
I make a face. “Technically, she broke up with you six months ago.”
“And then you come crashing into her life,” he continues as if I hadn’t interrupted, “and suddenly she wants nothing to do with me.” He kicks at the dirt, inching himself backward. “I fucking hate her for that. It’s a betrayal. She justleftme? No.”
I tilt my head. “You wanted to win her back?”
He laughs. “I fucking tried to mess with her head like you do. Especially after that video of her blowing me was posted. But instead of reacting like she does toyou, she just… was done with me.”
My lips twist. Of course she was just done with him. She was done with him months ago, it sounds like. He just wasn’t ready to face the music.
“You messed with her how?”
Jack’s expression turns pained. “Come on, man.”
“Did you know she was too drunk to remember when you stuck your dick in her mouth outside Haven?” I clench my fists, then force myself to release them.
He just laughs. “And you bet I saw you filming it, jackass.”
I motion to Knox to cut the video. The light dies, shrouding Jack in darkness again. Knox tosses my phone back to me. I watch it through, listening carefully to make sure we get all of his words, and cut off the last part where he mentions my involvement. It’s irrelevant, anyway.
“Wait here,” I say to Knox.
He inclines his chin.
I stride back to my truck. What I want to do and what I have to do are two very different things. Iwantto tie him to the cinder blocks in the bed of my truck and shove him over the side of the cliff.
I can’t do that. Murder is a bit too far, even for me.
Instead, I find the crowbar in my backseat and heft it in my hand. When I return, Jack is pleading with Knox. He’s crawled forward again, farther away from the drop-off, and he stares up at Knox like my friend will save him.
He won’t.
“This is strictly business,” I inform Jack.
His attention switches to me, but it’s too late to stop me. Or to get away. I’m set on my mission, the fury under my blood hot and demanding revenge.
I raise the crowbar. The weight is solid in my hand, my grip sure. I swing it up over my head. I relish the expression of horror that crosses his face. And the acknowledgement that he can’t stop me. For a perfect moment, we’re all frozen. And then I slam it down on his knee.